Proportional spacing method and stenciling or lettering apparatus



United States Patent 3,242,577 PROPORTIONAL SPACING METHOD AND STEN- CILING OR LETTERING APPARATUS David W. lvlurphy, R0. Box 77, Clearlake Highlands, Calif. Filed Dec. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 415,076 7 Claims. (Cl. 33-174) This invention relates to improvements in a combined stenciling and lettering apparatus, and more particularly, pertains to a method and apparatus using proportionally sized and shaped modular letter or symbol units in a stencil guide as a layout means of determining proportional placement of stcnciled letters in word or sentence form on a periodically marked line on sign paper or the like as designated letter positions for use with a conventional letter stencil of any desired type and size.

Conventional lettering devices of the present time are deficient in solving the problem of proportional spacing between the letters of different Width in the alphabet, numerals, symbols and the like used in printing, drafting or sign painting. Hitherto such spacing has had to be done by trial and error by the draftsman or sign painter to make a uniform and pleasing composition of proportionally spaced printed matter in a desired lettered form.

Briefly, the present invention solves the above problems by employing a stencil guide containing therein a supply of marked proportionally sized and shaped modular letter or symbol units or modules and a supply of conventional letter or symbol stencil sheets. The modular units are used in letter, word or sentence form in a slotted component ruler means having spaced vertical position locating markings thereon extending on opposite sides of a zero point 111 for centering a sentence or the like to be inscribed along a marked guide line on a sign painters paper or the like from stencil sheets when the vertical line for each of the letters or symbols of these stencil sheets are aligned with the dots or vertical lines extended from the lines or indicia of the modules carried by the ruler. Each letter or symbol of the stencil sheet may thus be quickly and accurately spaced on the paper and drawn, resulting in a pleasing composition of proportionally spaced lettered material. The ruler component of this invention may be made of any desired size and length to be used by sign painters, draftsmen or used as an educational device for instruction and teaching of small children or adults.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a simple, economical and accurate proportional spacing stenciling and lettering apparatus for quickly lettering a uniform and pleasing composition of proportionally spaced symbols.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dependable proportional spacing and centering method and stenciling or lettering apparatus for lettering or drawing a pleasing composition of numerals, words, sentences and the like of symbols of dilierent sizes as employed by sign painters, teachers and draftsmen, or for instructional use, as desired.

With these and other objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features in method of application, arrangement of parts, symbols, and structure, hereinafter described with reference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the modular letter container unit;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of each of the proportional modular space form for each letter, spacer unit, number or symbol as indicated for the apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the slotted component ruler which serves as a spaced layout means for the modular symbol units in word or sentence form before markice ing the relative positional marks of the symbols on a guide line on a sheet of sign material;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ruler of FIGURE 3, taken substantially on lines 44;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the ruler of FIGURE 3 having a plurality of modular symbol units having position locating lines centered on the ruler for indication of the position of these units onto a guide line on a page of sign material as vertical positioning marks for later use with a sheet of conventional stencil characters to be drawn thereon; and

FIGURE 6 shows a plan view of a partial sheet of sign material having a horizontal guide line with spaced vertical marks thereon located by the position locating lines of corresponding modules for positioning the letters of the superimposed partial stencil sheet for lettering of same thereon in letter, word or sentence form.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the dilferent views of the drawing.

Referring to FIGURE 1 the modular letter container unit 10 comprises a rectangular thickness of material such as wood or laminated paper 12 and the like of any desired size having slots 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40', 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52 and 54 on the left side of the unit 10 and slots 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92 and 94 on the right side of unit 10. The intermediate portion of unit 10 has a central divider 96 between the right and left sequence of slots above, as shown. The above slots retain therein a plurality of letter or numeral modular units of a geometric design conforming in configuration and proportional width to the symbol represented until they are to be used as hereinafter explained. Container unit 10 has a slotted recess 100 indicated by broken lines, adapted to loosely contain therein a plurality of conventional stencil sheets 102 which are easily accessible for use through arcuate slot 104 in container 10.

Container unit 10 may be made of any size and of any suitable material, as desired.

FIGURE 2 shows the configuration of geometrically shaped and proportionally sized modular units for each lotter, number, space and guide spacer to be used in slot 106 of ruler 108, each unit being indicated generally by the reference character and each unit having a vertical position locating line thereon positioned in accordance with the shape and width of the letter or symbol.

FIGURE 3 shows ruler 108 having vertical graduations thereon on opposite sides of a zero mark 111. The letter or numerical units, illustratively, D A V E, are inserted into slot 106 at aperture 112 and positioned therein in abutting relation in letter, word or sentence form, as desired, and centered on the zero mark 111.

Slot 106 of ruler 108 has a keeper plate 114 secured thereover by glue, screws 116, or other suitable means as desired, adapted to retain the modular units placed therein.

Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6, a sheet of sign material 118 has a horizontal guide line 120 drawn thereon with vertical spaced lines 122 drawn on sign sheet material 118 comprising extensions on lines on the modules carried by the ruler 108 of FIGURE 3, shown in a position as indicated in FIGURE 5.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 6, after the vertical lines 122 are placed on line of sign material 118 as indicated by the locating lines 110, a template or stencil sheet 102 is withdrawn from recess 100 of container 10 and placed on the sheet 118 in a manner so that the conventional vertical locating line 124 of stencil 102 is superimposed on the desired vertical line 122 with the bottom of the desired stencil letter aligned in position on line 120, after which each successive letter of matter to be stencilled is similarly proportionally spaced thereon and drawn as, desired forming an attractive proportionally spaced lettered sign.

In summary: The method of operation of the invention may be described in the following steps: selected modular letter, numerical or symbol units 105 of FIG- URE 2 are placed in slot 106 of ruler 108 in word or sentence form, the guide or space units of FIGURE 3 being employed if desired, in abutting relation, and the sentence is centered relative to the zero mark 111. Each locating line 110E is then extended as a vertical mark 122 across the horizontal line 121} on the sign paper 118, after which the conventional vertical position locating mark 124 below each letter or symbol of the corresponding conventional stencil sheet is aligned with the vertical marks 122 below the letter guide line 120 and the stencil letters are then transferred or drawn in final form as a word (D A V E), sentence or other desired form on the final sign or lettered material 118.

As many embodiments may be made of the embodiment of the invention hereinbefore shown and described as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from this inventive concept, it'being understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense, except as set forth in the following appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sign'making apparatus comprising a modular symbol container, a plurality of modular symbol units contained in display relation in said container, a cooperating ruler having slot and keeper means to receive said units, said units being formed of a shape and size conforming to the indicated symbol and each unit having a vertical position locating line thereon indicative of the proper spacing to accommodate the shape and width of the designated symbol, sign material having a horizontal guide line thereon and vertical spaced lines comprising extensions of said position locating lines, and stencil template means including cut out symbols and vertical position locating lines, said stencil template means and said vertical positioning lines thereon being positionable to coincide with the vertical position locating lines of the corresponding units on said sign material to permit inscription of said symbols on said sign material in proportionally spaced relation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ruler includes graduations extending equally on opposite sides of a centeringzero mark to enable centering of the modular symbol units to be inscribed.

3. A method of proportionally spacing and inscribing stencilled symbols on sign material comprising the following steps: selectively assembling modular symbol units of a configuration conforming to the size and shape of the symbol represented in abutting relation in a slotted ruler, said modular units having vertical position locating lines thereon proportionately spaced from the outermost portion of the symbol, extending said vertical position locating lines across a horizontal guide line on a sheet of sign material, selectively placing stencil letter sheets having symbols corresponding to those of the modular units on said sign material, said sheets having position locating lines thereon positioned in alignment with a positioning line on the associated modular unit and inscribing said symbols on said sign material.

4. A sign making apparatus comprising a multiplicity of modular units having symbols thereon and of a shape and width corresponding to said symbols, a ruler having a slot therein selectively to receive said modular units in abutting relation, said modular units having indicia thereon for extension in spaced relation across a guide line on sign material and cooperating stencil means aligned with said extended indicia on said sign material for the selective inscription of symbols in accordance with the symbols of said modular units in proportionally spaced relation on said sign material.

5. A sign making assembly comprising a multiplicity of different modular units having symbols thereon and of a geometric shape and size conforming to the configuration of the symbol, a ruler including centering indicia, slot means adapted selectively to receive said modular units, indicia on each unit adapted to be extended across a guide line on sign material, and stencil means positioned on said sign material proportionally to space and inscribe symbols spaced in accordance with said indicia.

6. A method of proportionally spacing and inscribing stencil letters in phrase form on sign material comprising the steps of: selectively assembling modular units shaped and sized to conform to individual letters and having position locating indicia thereon in juxtaposed relation in a holder, placing said holder on sign material and marking the relative positions of said units as indicated by said indicia on said sign material, aligning letter stencils in accordance with said marking, and inscribing corresponding letters on the sign material from said letter stencils.

7. A method of inscribing proportionally spaced letters on sign material comprising the steps of: assembling in aligned juxtaposed relation selected shaped and sized modular letter units having positioning indicia thereon in a holder, indicating the position of said indicia on said sign material, aligning corresponding letter stencil sheets with the indicated position and inscribing corresponding letter symbols from said stencil sheets on said sign material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,285,213 11/1918 Keller 33l74 1,586,088 5/1926 Jellow. 1,880,555 10/1932 Watts et a1. 33l74 X 2,451,775 l0/l948 Roller lOll28 LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL S. MATTHEWS, ISAAC LISANN,

Examiners. 

1. A SIGN APPARATUS COMPRISING A MODULAR SYMBOL CONTAINER, A PLURALITY OF MODULAR SYMBOL UNITS CONTAINED IN DISPLAY RELATION IN SAID CONTAINER, A COOPERATING RULER HAVING SLOT KEEPER MEAMS TO RECEIVE SAID UNITS, SAID UNITS BEING FORMED OF A SHAPE AND SIZE CONFORMING TO THE INDICATED SYMBOL AND EACH UNIT HAVING A VERTICAL POSITION LOCATING LINE THEREON INDICATIVE OF THE PROPER SPACING TO ACCOMMODATE THE SHAPE AND WIDTH OF THE DESIGNATED SYMBOL, SIGN MATERIAL HAVING A HORIZONTAL GUIDE LINE THEREON AND VERTICAL SPACED LINES COMPRISING EXTENSIONS OF SAID POSITION LOCATING LINES, AND STENCIL TEMPLATE MEANS INCLUDING CUT OUT SYMBOLS AND VERTICAL POSITION LOCATING LINES, SAID STENCIL TEMPLATE MEANS AND SAID VERTICAL POSITIONING LINES THEREON BEING POSITIONABLE TO COINCIDE WITH THE VERTICAL POSITION LOCATING LINES OF THE CORRESPONDING UNITS ON SAID SIGN MATERIAL TO PERMIT INSCRIPTION OF SAID SYMBOLS ON SAID SIGN MATERIAL IN PROPORTIONALLY SPACED RELATION. 